Philippians 2:13Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

When we wish, He further strengthens our willing. For example, I wish to do something good. He accomplishes this good, and He also produces the willing. Either the Apostle's words must be understood in this way, or he says this with particular foresight, just as he also calls our virtues gifts of God. When he calls virtues gifts of God, he does not take away our self-activity, but leaves it in us. So also, by the words “God works” in us “to will,” he does not deprive us of self-activity. Rather, he shows that through good action we acquire a greater disposition to willing. As eagerness to act is born from acting, so from not acting comes unwillingness to act. Have you given alms? You have made yourself more disposed to give. Have you not given? You have become less disposed to give. Have you spent one day in self-restraint? You have an impulse for another also. Have you been lazy? You have strengthened laziness. “The ungodly, when he has come into the depth of evils, is negligent” (Prov 18:3). Therefore, as one who has come into the depth of evils is negligent, so one who has come into the depth of good things is zealous. As the former, despairing, becomes more negligent, so the latter, thinking on the multitude of good works, becomes more diligent, fearing lest he lose everything. “According to His good pleasure,” he says, that is, out of love for God, for the sake of pleasing Him, so that what is pleasing to Him and according to His will may be accomplished. Here the Apostle shows and assures us that God truly works, since He desires us to live according to His will. And if He desires this, and moreover Himself works, then He will surely accomplish it, because He wills that we live righteously. Do you see how self-activity is not taken away?

If the completion of the work followed, a still greater desire to do the same work is born in you. If not, your will becomes weaker. Therefore, if the completion of the work depends on God, and this completion also awakens our desire, the Apostle quite rightly says that the very desire depends on God. Or Paul speaks from a feeling of great gratitude, saying that God produces the very desire in us. In the same way he calls virtue a gift, not denying freedom of choice, but wishing us always to be grateful and to ascribe everything to God. Notice the expression “in you,” that is, in you who work out salvation with fear and trembling. For only in such people does God accomplish everything.

But God provides that we do it by giving us powers wholly sufficient for the fulfillment of the desire. It is not in God's power to incline anyone to evil or good against his will. But if God abandons someone according to his merits, that man will turn to evil. Yet with God's help, and without any merits, he will turn to good. For a man is not good if he does not will it, but the grace of God helps him even to will. For it is not without reason that it is written: “God works in you both to will and to do according to His good pleasure.”

And if they are so ours that they are no longer gifts of almighty God, why do we give thanks for them to almighty God? But one must know that evil deeds are ours alone, while good deeds are both ours and almighty God's. They are ours because He, by inspiration, goes before us so that we may will. He follows with assistance, so that we do not will in vain, but may be able to fulfill what we have willed. Thus, through prevenient grace and obedient good will, what is the gift of almighty God becomes our merit.

This is fully explained by the fact that in human salvation God is not only the One who works, but man also is the one who works it out. Man can resist the action of God and, through negligence and indifference, grieve and quench the Spirit of God who works in him (1 Thess 5:19). Here there arises the possibility of fear, lest our salvation, begun and accomplished by God, be destroyed through our sinful frivolity.

It is not that the grace of God accomplishes the very deed instead of the man. When a mother leads her child by the hand as he begins to walk, she only helps him walk. She does not herself perform the movement for him. Such also, according to the teaching of St. Macarius, is the assistance of the grace of God for us in good works. In the brightness of a clear day a burning candle is not visible, yet it still burns on its own. So also God produces in us both willing and doing, yet our freedom remains inviolate.

If such fear is needed where the devil does not lie in wait, but only sloth weighs one down, then in such a struggle and amid such obstacles, how can one ever be saved without fear? The builder, though experienced, nevertheless stands with fear and trembling, afraid of falling from the building. You too have believed, have accomplished much good, and have ascended to a height. Hold yourself firmly, stand with fear, and watch vigilantly, lest you fall from there. For there are many spirits of wickedness desiring to cast you down. ‘Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice in Him with trembling’ (Ps 2:11). Notice also that the Apostle did not say, ‘do salvation,’ but ‘work it out,’ that is, with every diligence. How can fear be born? If we consider that God is present everywhere, hears everything, sees everything, not only words and deeds, but also everything that takes place in the heart and in the depths of the soul (Heb 4:12). If we constantly have this thought, then we shall constantly be in fear and trembling, as if standing near the King Himself.” “Take courage, for it is God who works in you. When you will, He also will work, even the willing. And when we wish to do something good, He accomplishes this good. Yet our choice is not thereby taken away.” We must strive for good pleasure, that is, for the conformity of our will with the good and loving will of God. According to blessed Theodoret, “the Apostle called God's good will good pleasure. For God ‘desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth’” (1 Tim 2:4). According to the thought of our recent interpreter, “here the Apostle, on the one hand, persuades them to abandon self-exaltation, and, on the other, to take upon themselves the opposite, self-abasement, which is so clearly expressed in fear and trembling. God assists man not by virtue of man's merits, but according to His own goodness. Through this last expression the Apostle removes from the Philippians the possibility of conceit and vainglory over their own merits” (cf. Rom 7:18).

He not only tears himself away, but also strikes the king’s hands. It is unsafe for the first to act so. The second faces obvious danger.

Every sinner is a fighter against God. But one who goes against the will of God in the heart and conscience, which forcibly draws him toward what is due, fights against God with incomparably greater guilt.

All Christians are such. They are joined to the Lord and have Him acting within themselves. Their reverence and fear should have no measure.

These words may also be related to the preceding in another way. If the force of thought in the preceding verse is placed not in “with fear and trembling,” but in “work out,” then the present verse may be taken as the Apostle encouraging them.

He speaks as if to say: work out your salvation, for you are not alone. God Himself acts in you.

If, with such an actor within you, you do not work out your salvation, then there will be no measure to your foolishness, inattention to yourself, and carelessness. Consequently there will be no measure to the punishment for failing to work out salvation.

Chrysostom says: “Do not fear because I said, ‘with fear and trembling.’ I said it not to stop you, nor so that you should consider virtue inaccessible, but so that you would be attentive and not distracted. If this is present, namely attention and zeal, then God will do everything. Take courage, ‘for God is the One who works in you.’ Therefore, if He Himself acts, then on our side we must show an intention to please Him that is constantly firm, concentrated, and undistracted. When you will it, then He too will act, bringing your willing to resolve. Do not fear and do not grow faint. He will give us both zeal and the very activity. When we begin to act, He will give strength to bring the work to completion. For when we will, He strengthens our willing still more. And when we wish to do something good, He accomplishes this good. This does not take away free choice, but leaves it in us. For see: did you give alms? You disposed yourself more toward doing. Did you not give? You became less disposed toward doing. Did you spend the day temperately? You have an impulse for another day also. Were you lazy? You strengthened laziness. From this, one who has come into the depth of evils becomes careless (cf. Prov 18:3). But as one who has come into the depth of evils becomes careless by himself, so one who has come into the depth of good strives by himself.”

“God acts not because He compels and forces, but because, finding zeal in us, He strengthens it by grace” (blessed Theodoret).

“For His good pleasure.” God acts in us in this way because it is pleasing to Him to act so. All His good pleasure toward us inclines to this, that we live and act according to His will.

Since we ourselves are powerless for this, He comes to us with help.

Chrysostom says: “‘For His good pleasure,’ that is, through love for God, for the sake of pleasing Him, so that what is pleasing to Him and according to His will may be accomplished. Here the Apostle shows and assures us that God truly acts. Since He desires that we live according to His will. If He desires this and Himself acts, then He will certainly bring this about, because He desires us to live righteously.”

“By good pleasure the Apostle means the good will of God. God ‘desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth’ (cf. 1 Tim 2:4)” (blessed Theodoret).

Or “for His good pleasure” means: when, how, and in what measure it is pleasing to Him, while He certainly measures this good pleasure also with the directions of our free will.